‘DISGRACE’ OF OVER 10,000 SALFORD CHILDREN LIVING IN BENEFIT CLAIM HOUSEHOLDS

Star date: 29th November 2017

OVER ONE THIRD OF SALFORD CHILDREN LIVING IN OUT-OF-WORK HOUSEHOLDS AGED UNDER FIVE

New Government figures out today show that 10,240 children age under 15 are living in almost six thousand 'out-of-work benefit households', and that over a third of these children are aged under five. Nationally, almost two million children are living in such households.

"What an absolute disgrace; this Government is dragging us back to the middle ages" says Alec McFadden of the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre "The poverty we are dealing with every day is staggering..."

"We need to ask what kind of a Christmas those children are going to have...It is horrendous..."

New figures released today by the Government* show thousands of Salford children living in 'out-of-work benefit households', where at least one parent or guardian is claiming one of six benefits, including Income Support and Universal Credit**

The statistics for Salford show a total of 10,240 children aged under 15 living in such households (11,430 if under 18s are included), with over a third of those children, 3,840, aged under five. They are living in a total of 5,950 out-of-work benefit households.

The figures for Salford are the third highest in Greater Manchester. The second highest is Bolton with 11,000 under 15s living in out-of-work benefit households, while Manchester is top with a staggering 25,670 under 15s living in such conditions.

Nationally, 1.9million children are living in out-of-work benefit households, although the Government claims that this has decreased by 3.8% since the preceding year.

However, more children are now living in households that aren't claiming benefits but where parents and guardians are on poverty wages. In Salford, child poverty affects over 25% of all youngsters (see here).

"What an absolute disgrace" says Alec McFadden, manager of the Salford Unemployed and Community Resource Centre "Gordon Brown and the Low Pay Unit were talking about the end of child poverty by 2020...And when the war ended in 1945 they talked about creating 'a land fit for heroes'...but this Government is dragging us back to the middle ages.

"The poverty we are dealing with every day is staggering" he explains "We need everyone off benefits and into proper jobs with a living wage of around £10 an hour. Parents of children deserve a better future and the only way that's going to happen, for me, is a very early General Election for this Government to be sacked and replaced with a socialist Government.

"We're less than a month from Christmas and we need to ask what kind of a Christmas those children are going to have" he adds "It is horrendous."

* Although these are newly published figures they relate to May 2016

** The out-of-work benefits included in these figures are Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit...

@mary. I believe the first food bank opened in 2001, 3 and a half years after the Labour leader Tony Blair became PM. Funny we didn’t need food banks under the Tories, but we did after 3 half years after labour came to power. This Labour run council since 2008, after the financial crash, once again labour in full control of the country’s financial purse strings, remember one of Gordon Browns first acts in 1997 was taking away the Bank of England to control the banking industry, this led to what was the “sub prime market crash of 2008”. Since 2008 mary, as you know and have pointed out, Salford Labour council have spent, like its going out of fashion, tax payers money, ie 13 million on the green gate fountain, 3 million a year on the BBC philharmonic orchestra, 24 million on Salford Reds, they’ve just spent another 30 million on the bridge in Irlam, which peel are refusing to open, because of this labour controlled council can’t draw up a water tight legal document that protects the Salford tax payer, once again peel are going to screw the Salford taxpayer. Mary if you look at councils up and down the country that don’t have food banks “ these councils are going through austerity and have central government cuts to there finances” you’ll find these councils are one not labour controlled “inept”, two they put front line services before vanity projects. This labour councils top priority is making the wealthiest ie peel Holdings, done brothers and developers richer, Salford is in the process of the social cleansing of Salfordians from Salford, just as Londoners have been socially cleansed from London, another labour controlled city. So Mary your wrong to say this government, Salford has plenty of money, it’s just a labour controlled council squandering it, as all labour councils up and down the country do.

Mary ferrer wroteat 3:40:50 AM on Thursday, November 30, 2017

This government are making sure the rich,getting richer. While families are having to rely on food banks pay day loans. Some children only get one good meal a day and that's at school. What happens to younger children.and how do they fair during the school holidays.we have a big one coming up.we are living in 2017,not 1017.the tories are dragging certain people backwards. While our middle class are smiling all the way to the bank. I have never seen so many food banks popping up across the city. What would happen if families did have them.this government couldn't give a dam.

wroteat 2:16:13 AM on Thursday, November 30, 2017

Alec McFadden is spot on here. I am ashamed to be standing in the Salford Council election if this is what they think is acceptable. I throw my shame at our Councillors and demand they give answers as to why Salford is a severely blotted City driven into unnecessary despair.

Michael James Felse wroteat 2:15:45 AM on Thursday, November 30, 2017

and I thank Alec McFadden for keeping us informed. We need more people like Alec and less of those who appear to sit on the gravy train watching despair, stress and inequality in our Salford.